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Issue:
How to configure Virtual Machines to shut down when a standalone ESXi host is commanded to shut down by PowerChute.

Product Line:
PowerChute Network Shutdown
PowerChute Business Edition

Environment:
VMware ESX and ESXi

Cause:
Informational

Solution:
You can use the "Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown" feature of ESXi and ESX to gracefully shutdown VMs when the host is commanded to shut down. VMware tools must be installed on each VM.

To configure VMs to shut down with the host:

Log in to the ESXi host via the vSphere client. On the Configuration tab and under Software, select "Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown"

Click on Properties

Enable the option "Allow Virtual Machines to start and stop automatically with the system"

Change the Shutdown Action to "Guest Shutdown"

Use Startup Order to specify the order in which the VMs are shut down and started

Click OK to accept the changes.

For more information see VMware knowledge base document 1008182Note: The Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown feature is deliberately disabled for hosts that are part of a High Availability (HA) Cluster.

PowerChute Business Edition is not supported in a HA environment. PowerChute Network Shutdown version 3.1 and above supports HA environments. For help on how to configure PowerChute Network Shutdown in a HA environment please review Application Note 180 or the VMware User Guide.